Chapter 1

The Floundering Witch Who Can’t Ride a Broom My name is Atsuko Kagari, and I knew my destiny when I was six years old. At an outdoor stage, under a sky full of twinkling stars, I saw a magic show for the first time in my life. I watched as birds made of light flew out of the Big Dipper, and from their brilliant glow appeared a redheaded witch. She was Shiny Chariot, the person to whom my destiny was tied. Falling stars showered down on us, and fairies materialized in front of our chests. When we tried to catch them, they slipped through our fingers, flitting up and away. Beyond them, a centaur waited in the night sky, and Chariot raced past on her broom. Even now, I can remember it all very, very clearly. Chariot showed me a whole new world I’d never known, a world where magic definitely existed. And she taught me that it was both incredibly fun and a way to make everybody happy! “A believing heart is your magic,” said Chariot as she waved her magic staff, Shiny Rod, at the sky. “When you reach out your hand, your story will begin!” That was when I made up my mind: I was going to become a witch, too. Someday, with my own two hands, I was going to make my dream come true—just like Chariot, the best witch in the world. It was gonna be a story by me, for me! …Well, at least, that was the plan. “I hate thiiiiiis! I don’t wanna do this stuff anymoooore!” I planted my face onto my desk. “I’m so done with it. This isn’t why I came to Luna Nova!” Ten years had passed since the night I’d decided to become a witch. Now, at sixteen, I’d gotten my heart’s desire and come all the way from Japan to attend Luna Nova. Luna Nova. It was the school Shiny Chariot had gone to: a distinguished magical academy straight out of my dreams! Ever since I’d been officially admitted, I’d been looking forward to attending it more than anything. Oh, I just knew I’d be bursting with talent and pulling off even the most challenging spells. I could already hear the professors: Miss Kagari, you truly are Shiny Chariot’s successor! But reality was much different. Magical numerology, magical pharmacology, magical astronomy… The only things piled up in front of me were textbooks crammed with complicated theories. Well, sure. Magic was magic. It was nothing like anything I’d studied in school up until now. I even learned how to find goblins and make magic potions for the first time at Luna Nova. But come on! What I wanted to do was, you know, wave a wand like Kapwing! and Blam! and cast some flashy spells—the kind that filled you up with wonder and excitement, like Chariot’s show. Not this “studying” kind, which kept me glued to my desk and was full of lousy stuff I had to memorize! “Haaah. Seriously, what’s the point of learning about the magical world’s past anyway?” The textbook I had open was for magical history. It droned on and on about the history of witches. But, um, excuse me, it really doesn’t matter what a total stranger did a hundred years ago. Like, I don’t care about it one bit. “You just gotta deal with it. It’s your fault for napping in class, Akko.” My roommate Sucy spoke callously, as though it had nothing to do with her. Lifting my head, I hit her with my most withering glare. “And that was because of you, Sucy! You made me drink a sleeping potion!” “If you wouldn’t yawn with your mouth wide-open, maybe these things wouldn’t happen. Your fault for being careless.” “How?!” I yelled, then remembered with a start and hastily clapped both hands over my mouth. Sucy grinned at me. I’d seen the eyedropper she was holding. Oh, wow. That was a close one. She’d almost gotten me again. Sucy’s hobby was collecting poisons, and if I gave her half a chance, she’d use me as a guinea pig all day. Thanks to that, I’d landed in this wonderful little mess today! I mean, I’d been just the tiniest bit bored, so I yawned, like anyone would. That was all. I’d even covered my mouth with my hand so the professor wouldn’t see it. And Sucy had still slipped in from the side and squirted some of her homemade sleeping potion into my mouth with an eyedropper. Just one drop, and I was out like a light. Professor Finnelan, our magical history teacher, got so mad, she almost burst into flames, but apparently I still didn’t stir. They shook me and pinched me, but I didn’t so much as twitch. Sucy, you jerk! What kind of powerful potions were you using on me?! The upshot was that I was the only one in the whole class to get homework. I was supposed to copy everything from chapter 1 to chapter 3 in the textbook—forty pages’ worth—into a notebook by the next day. Seriously, punishments didn’t get more tedious than that. Long story short, all of this was Sucy’s fault! But she showed no sign of trying to help me. She was busy organizing her collection of poisonous plants. I swear. What was so fun about staring at scary weeds day in and day out? “HaaaAAAAaaaaAAAaaaah.” As I sighed for the umpteenth time, my other roommate, Lotte, smiled wryly at me. The three of us had been sharing a room ever since the entrance ceremony. “The homework’s hard, but it isn’t all bad, you know,” she chided in her easygoing way. “What about this is good?” “You weren’t born into a family of witches, Akko. Sucy and I learned these things growing up, but you hardly know anything about history. If you take this opportunity to learn about witches properly, it’s sure to come in handy.” “But do I really need to memorize it? Like, if there’s ever anything I need to know, I can just grab a book and look it up then.” “Mm… Maybe it’s not useful right now, but I bet it will be eventually. That’s what studying is for, after all.” “Geez, Lotte, you’re such a Goody Two-shoes.” I pushed my lips out in a pout and balanced my pencil on top of them. I wasn’t even halfway through my homework, but I really didn’t feel like doing it anymore. Lotte stepped in to placate me. “But, Akko, if you don’t finish your homework, I doubt they’ll let you go on the field trip.” “A field trip?” I blinked at her. What trip? Nobody told me about this. Sucy shot me a look of irritation. “Oh, Akko, you really don’t listen to anything. The professor told us about it today, remember?” “When?” “During our magical history class.” “In case you forgot, that was your fault, Sucy!” “Oh yeah. You were asleep, huh?” “Stop pretending this has nothing to do with you!” “N-now, now.” Lotte slipped in between Sucy and me to keep us from attacking each other. “Um, so we’re all going to Doras Hill tomorrow night.” “Doras Hill?” “Uh-huh. It’s been said fairies have gathered there for centuries. It’s a really special place, full of magic.” “Fairies? Special?!” Words I loved to hear. She certainly had my attention. Lotte smiled at me knowingly. “I went there with my grandma a really long time ago. Oh, it’s wonderful! You know, they say you’ll receive a blessing if you stand at the very top of the hill and let the full moon shine down on you.” “Ooh, got it. So that’s why we’re going at night.” “Yep. I think it’s a yearly event, a sort of good-luck ritual for first-year Luna Nova students to become full-fledged witches. Oh, and we’ll be leaving at ten PM.” “Ten PM?! But that’s when they turn the lights off!” “I think the magical powers of the moon are the strongest between midnight and two in the morning. I can’t believe we get to go out so late! Isn’t it exciting?” “Wooooow! Sounds like so much fun!” “Will you be able to go, Akko?” Sucy scratched her cheek. “The trip’s tomorrow evening, remember? Will you make it in time?” “Oh, sure, it’ll be fine. If I’ve got that to look forward to, this homework will go by real fast. I’ll have it done in a jiffy!” “That’s not what I meant.” Sucy’s eyes swept across me to the broom propped up in a corner of the room. Lotte let out a small gasp. “We’re taking the leylines to the hill.” “Huh?” “Meaning we’re going by broom. And you can’t ride, Akko.” “…Huh?” “I seriously doubt you’ll be able to learn how by tomorrow.” “Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” I jumped to my feet on reflex, and my chair fell over with a bang. That’s impossible! Nobody told me about this! “All right, girls. Are you ready?” With a soft smile, Professor Ursula mounted her broom. I listened as everyone energetically answered her. “Yes!” You know, my idol, Chariot, used to stand on her slender broom, riding it through the night sky like a snowboard. Sometimes she’d even use her momentum to do multiple spins in midair. That’s why I kind of assumed witches could ride brooms as a matter of course. I figured because I’d gotten into Luna Nova, I’d learn to ride one without any trouble at all. …Well, let me tell you. I could not. It didn’t matter how much I hopped around or fervently chanted my spells. My broom wouldn’t respond to me one bit. It normally wasn’t a problem. I mean, it wasn’t not a problem, but if I needed to go into town or get around the school, I could just walk. That wouldn’t work with the leylines, though. They have a whole lotta magic in them, so we can cast spells anywhere as long as we’re close to them. Oh, and they let us travel around by broom, too. Our destination tonight was several dozen miles away, but it was on a leyline, which meant we could catch a magical current and be there in no time at all! …Or at least, I should’ve been able to. Technically. But since I couldn’t ride my broom, I had to sit behind Professor Ursula on hers. I’ll be honest, it was seriously uncool. “Miss Kagari, are you all right? Hold on tight so you don’t get thrown off.” “…I will,” I grumbled. I mean, I was thankful Professor Ursula volunteered to be my mentor, especially since I was floundering in pretty much all my classes. She’s always smiling and super-kind. But just between you and me, she’s sometimes a little too nice, so you can’t always count on her. That said, she’s way better than the other teachers, who are constantly mad at me. …That still didn’t cancel out the fact that I looked totally dumb right then. Sure enough, I heard spiteful snickers here and there. “I can’t believe there’s a witch who can’t even ride a broom! A blot on Luna Nova’s reputation!” “It’s absurd for an ordinary person to even think they can join the witches in the first place.” …Okay. Whoever said that, get out here. I’ll shut you up for good! My right fist was raised and ready to go, but I slowly brought my left hand up to restrain it. After pulling an all-nighter to finish my homework, I really wasn’t in the mood to cause trouble and get my trip privileges revoked. Be patient. Suck it up. To tell you the truth, I was gritting my teeth so hard, they were about to shatter! “Express contempt for others, and it will always come back to you.” Everyone instantly fell silent at the sound of a dignified voice. …It was Diana. “No one is without weakness. It’s unbecoming to find fault in others while turning a blind eye to yours. What a disgrace to Luna Nova.” Diana Cavendish. She’s a girl in my class with fluffy, wavy hair. Some people say she’s the best student in all of Luna Nova’s history. On top of that, she’s really pretty, super-smart, and from a very distinguished family. She can effortlessly cast even the most advanced spells. Basically, she’s perfect. From what I’ve heard, there are several Diana fan clubs—not just at Luna Nova but in the magical world at large. Hmph. So what? Back home, I was… On second thought, that doesn’t really matter right now. “That’s just like you, Diana!” “How very admirable.” Her sidekicks, Hannah and Barbara, cheered her on. There they go, following the crowd again. Gimme a break. You two were the first ones to bad-mouth me a minute ago! As I growled audibly, I made eye contact with Diana. She was undisturbed, cool, and collected. Ugh, I couldn’t help but look away. I mean, it was nice of her to defend me. But it didn’t make me the least bit happy! I was super-embarrassed, actually. But Diana didn’t seem to care I was ignoring her. She looked as snooty and composed as ever, and I was the only one acting immature. That bugged me, too. “Now, now. If we take too long, dawn will break, girls. Let’s be off, shall we?” Looking out at the group of students as they finally quieted down, Professor Ursula raised her magic wand. “Fly, my broom. Tia Freyre!” No sooner had she said the words than the broom we were riding rose into the air. It moved with such ease, you’d never have thought it was carrying both the professor and me. Starting with Diana, the other students started chanting the spell and began to rise, one after another. “Proceed to the leyline in order, please, and follow Professor Finnelan.” They flew into the entrance of the leyline one by one, while I gazed up at them in total silence. “Professor? When do you think I’ll be able to fly?” I whispered when Lotte and Sucy were the only ones left. You know, I’d flown properly, just once. But it was with the help of a legendary broom, the Shooting Star. It was a rowdy one with a mind of its own, but it could zoom around all by itself, even without a witch on board, and I could soar through the sky just by clinging to it. (Well, we were going so fast, even that’d been a job and a half.) I wished I could ride the Shooting Star again, but that probably wasn’t possible. I mean, all it did was run wild, so there was no way it’d take me where I wanted to go. I had also tried asking Professor Ursula to put a spell on my broom on the sly, just for today. But she refused, and that was that. Tch! “Everyone has their own pace, and we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. It’s perfectly normal for you to take longer than others. After all, you’ve only just begun studying magic.” “But…” “This isn’t like you, Miss Kagari. What happened to that catchphrase of yours?” “My catchphrase?” “You know: ‘A believing heart is my magic!’ That’s why you have the Shiny Rod, isn’t it? It’s because you believe.” “…Uh-huh.” Nodding, I softly touched the Shiny Rod at my waist. This was the magic staff Chariot used. Why do I have such a special staff, you ask? I found it by accident in the Arcturus Forest. I got lost and wandered in there with Lotte and Sucy on the day of the entrance ceremony. And I’ve also used it to cast spells. Well, only one, and I haven’t heard a peep out of it since, but still. That’s why everybody says it’s probably a replica, but I believe it’s real! The Shiny Rod is my greatest treasure, a talisman that gives me courage. “You never lose heart in the face of failure. I’m very impressed by your resilience, you know. People usually get discouraged. I know I couldn’t get back up on my feet so easily myself.” “Are you trying to tell me I have no shame?” “Wait, what? Is that what it sounded like? No, that isn’t it. Let’s see…” At first glance, she looks sharp and competent with her tiny glasses and all, but Professor Ursula is the kind of person who’d trip over absolutely nothing. Honestly, she is pretty careless and scatterbrained. As I watched her scrambling to find the right words, my bad mood started to seem more and more ridiculous. Besides, it felt like just touching the Shiny Rod had given me a burst of energy. “You’re right. There’s no point in worrying about what I can’t do!” “Yes, exactly. That’s the spirit.” “I’m practically destined to become the next Chariot, after all. Overcoming hardships will only make my future shine brighter!” “Um, yes. Uh…huh?” “That’s another reason for me to soak up lots of light from the full moon tonight. If I get twice as much light as everybody else, the effects should be twice as strong!” “W-well, I’m glad you’ve cheered up.” The professor sounded a bit overwhelmed as I hugged her tightly from behind. “Okay, Professor! Let’s hurry up and go!” “…I think you should learn to be a little more disheartened, Akko,” I heard Sucy mutter beside me, but I really didn’t care at all! The fairies’ hill! The light of the full moon! I was thrilled just thinking about it! I started smiling in spite of myself. “Come on, Professor! Hurry! Let’s go!” And just like that, I stopped dwelling on Diana’s smug face, the other students’ sarcastic laughter, and everything else. My heart swelled with anticipation. I just knew I was gonna soak up lots of moonlight and get another step closer to Chariot!